Page 119 of Zayrik

---

For becoming more than just a warrior.

Gabby lingered. Her smile was smaller now. Softer.

Like she saw everything.

The challenges. The rewards.

The way love could remake you, if you let it.

“She’ll need you when she wakes,” she said. “Don’t run from that.”

Don’t hide behind duty. Or pretend this isn’t changing everything.

Don’t waste what fate has given you.

Then they left. The door slid shut. Silence.

Just me.

And Nyla.

And everything unspoken between us.

I reached out. Brushed my knuckles lightly along her arm.

She didn’t stir.

But she was warm.

Through our bond, I felt her presence strengthen slightly.

Like she knew I was here.

Like some part of her was reaching back.

I settled deeper into the chair, prepared to wait as long as it took.

Because when she opened her eyes, I needed to be the first thing she saw.

My marks glowed softly beneath my sleeve, responding to her nearness.

To everything she meant to me. To what we could be.

If she chose to stay.

If she choseus.

If she choseme.

Through our bond, I felt her start to surface.

Like a star blinking back into the sky.

Like breath finding its way home.

Like hope. Real, this time.

35

---